Australia Student Visa Rejection: Most Common Reasons

There are a number of reasons for Australia student visa rejection such as incomplete documentation, insufficient funds, academic failure, criminal record, wrong intent to enter the country, and many more. One of the most common among these is incomplete application or incorrect documentation.

Understanding these reasons for refusal is crucial for international students to avoid them and increase their chances of Australian student visa approval. Hence, Indian students must double-check all the aspects of why a student visa gets rejected. So, the Australian study visa application must be filled out accurately with relevant original documents to minimize the risk of a visa rejection.

Moreover, Australia student visa rejection rate 2024 was roughly estimated at 20 to 30%. It shows that securing an Australian student visa is a little competitive and it is important to comply with the student visa requirements. This article will highlight the top reasons for Australia student visa rejection for prospective students to avoid wrong insights.

Top 8 Reasons for Australia Student Visa Rejection

Some of the common reasons that result in Australian student visa rejection are mentioned below:

Failure of Academic Qualifications

Obtaining an Australian student visa requires Indian students to meet the academic qualifications of the selected university in Australia. It varies depending on the university, course, and study level. Hence, failure to any of the academic requirements can be one of the crucial reasons for Australia student visa rejection. Some of the common entry academic requirements include:

• Demonstrating English proficiency through English tests such as IELTS, DET, TOEFL, PTE, and CAE is a basic requirement for every course. Students must achieve relevant scores as per the university's English requirements.

• For an undergraduate course in Australia, Indian students must have a qualification that is equivalent to an Australian Senior Secondary Certificate of Education. Moreover, there may be a requirement to have specific pre-requisite subjects.

• For a postgraduate course in Australia, a bachelor’s with relevant subject and GPAs is required.

Failing to Meet GTE Requirements

GTE or Genuine Temporary Entrant is one of the most crucial requirements for applying to an Australian student visa. It is used as a surety that international students showcase a genuine intention to come back to India on completion of the course of study in Australia. It must serve as a guarantee that the candidate is entering Australia only for studies and not as a channel to gain residency in Australia.

Hence, not meeting the GTE requirements is one of the main reasons for Australia student visa rejection. GTE requirements are met by providing a personal written statement with a complete profile and the required pieces of evidence to support that statement.

A few of the important things to add in the statement include:

• Be honest and provide true information about yourself

• Showcase your interest of coming back to India by providing your personal economic situation/political interests/military service commitments and many more.

• In case of a study gap, give reason to support your circumstances for the gap including supporting documents

• Explain why you want to study at the particular university and why in Australia

• Share your immigration history. This includes any previous visa applications for Australia or other countries, visa refusals, and cancellations.

Failing to Meet English Proficiency Requirements

International students from a non-English speaking country are required to provide proof of their English proficiency to study in Australia. Some of the acceptable English tests include IELTS, PTE, CAE, OET ( a test developed for health professionals), and TOEFL.

As per the latest Australian government regulations, international students must achieve a minimum score that is equivalent to a 6 to 6.5 IELTS bandscore. Failing to pass these tests may result in an Australia visa rejection.

Invalid Passport

The candidate needs a valid passport for student visa approval. Failing to provide a valid passport will eventually result in an Australia student visa rejection. As per the Immigration Office of Australia, Indian students must comply with the following passport requirements:

• The student’s passport must have been issued within the last 10 years from the date of application of the student visa.

• It must be valid for at least 6 months after the end of the intended course of study in Australia.

Insufficient Funds

One of the major reasons why DIBP (Department of Immigration and Border Protection) rejects an Australian student visa application is insufficient funds. A financial support document showing sufficient funds ensures that the student is financially strong enough to pay for the tuition fees and living expenses in Australia.

The financial document can be a bank statement with relevant money. As per the latest news released by the Department of Home Affairs of Australia, all international students applying after 10th May 2024 must have at least a proof of AUD 28,710. However, all applicants to apply before 10th May 2024 must demonstrate proof of AUD 24,505. Hence, the Australia student visa application without supporting financial documents is directly rejected.

Past criminal records

It is one of the most obvious reasons for Australia student visa rejection. The concerned authorities tend to strictly reject the student visa application on the basis of the student’s past misconduct. Moreover, complete transparency must be there in the application form stating any minor to major criminal incidents.

It includes the student’s character. There are some DIBP character requirements that must be adhered to by students. Hence, students may be asked for police verification certificates since childhood in each country they have lived in.

Incorrect/ Incomplete Application and Documents

It is one of the most common and pointless reasons for Australian student visa rejection. An incomplete application form or an application with a missing document that is required by the concerned authorities to assess the candidate’s profile leads to direct rejection.

The common documents for Indian students required to apply for Australia student visa are mentioned below:

• A valid passport

• Resume certified by local authorities

• Birth Certificate

• National Identity card

• Valid Certificate of Enrolment (CoE) for all intended courses in Australia

• Valid Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

• SOP (mandatory for GTE requirements)

• Finance support documents

• English test scores

Absence of Overseas Student Health Cover

It is one of the mandatory requirements to have an Overseas Student Health Cover that can cover the student until the intended stay in Australia as a student. It covers medical expenses, hospital expenses, prescription medications, and others while studying in Australia. Hence, not having a proper Overseas Student Health Cover can be a major reason for Australia student visa rejection.

How to reapply for an Australian visa after refusal?

There may be a case where your Australian visa application is rejected. Students have a right to apply for a visa refusal appeal. They can submit the appeal application at ATT (Administrative Appeals Tribunal) for this. However, the appeal must be submitted within 28 days either online at the official ATT website or by sending a paper application.

If the Australian visa refusal appeal application is not submitted within the deadline, the decision cannot be changed. A fee of AUD 1,896 has to be paid to submit the appeal. One must note that the application processing time may vary based on the type of your visa and rejection reasons.